Two Chinese men arrested for kidnapping, extortion

Zhu Zhong Liang, 28, and Wu Xiao Sheng, 33, were arrested by police in the Mekong Delta province and handed over to their counterparts in the central city of Da Nang.

They are being detained pending investigation into charges of "kidnapping for ransom."

On April 5, the duo allegedly kidnapped a 34-year-old Chinese man in Da Nang’s Son Tra District and took him to another location in a car. While they held him captive, they beat him up and tried to extort money from him. They made him call a compatriot to the location and made him another captive.

The two victims were taken to an apartment in Son Tra and beaten again. The victims, fearful for their lives, asked their relatives to pay the duo 300,000 yuan ($46,300). The pair then asked for another 400,000 yuan and was paid that, too.

Despite satisfying their captors' demands, the victims were held captive for another 10 days. On realizing they would not be able to extort any more ransom from their victims, Liang and Sheng escaped to Hau Giang and stayed at the home of Liang's wife.

An investigation is ongoing. Authorities have not revealed any other information about the case.